In my recent review of 1975’s “Death Race 2000”, I took some time to talk about the film’s producer, the legendary Roger Corman who just recently passed away at the age of 98. I shared how the independent cinema icon had been instrumental in launching the careers of numerous high profile filmmakers. Among them was none other than the ten-time Oscar nominated director, Martin Scorsese.

Roger Corman was hungry for another female gangster movie and was drawn to Ben Reitman’s 1937 novel “Sister of the Road: The Autobiography of Boxcar Bertha”. A script was written by the husband and wife duo of John William and Joyce Corrington and Martin Scorsese was hired to direct after impressing Corman with his debut feature, “Who’s That Knocking at My Door”.

“Boxcar Bertha” has many of the usual markings that accompany the majority of Corman’s early exploitation flicks. But the crafty Scorsese brought his own gritty sensibility which made it feel a little different. Regardless of what you call it, you can see the fingerprints of the director that Scorsese would quickly become. His specific attention to detail, his knack for immersing the audience into his well-drawn setting, his fluid use of the camera – it’s all on display and in many ways saves the movie from itself.

Set in the Depression era South, “Boxcar Bertha” follows an orphaned and dirt-poor young girl named Bertha Thompson (Barbara Hershey) who begins trainhopping after her father is killed in a cropdusting accident. A couple years later Bertha crosses paths and falls in love with a down-on-his-luck union organizer Big Bill Shelly (David Carradine). The couple are later joined by Rake Brown (Barry Primus), a slick but cowardly gambler who Bertha saves at a poker table, and by Von Morton (Bernie Casey), an old family friend who worked for Bertha’s father.

The group tries the ‘straight and narrow’ path, but in such hard times our foursome has to resort to robbing banks and passenger trains just to get by. They eventually accept that they’re criminals which ends up putting them in the crosshairs of a powerful railroad magnate (played David Carradine’s real-life father, John). Soon the press is covering their antics – embellishing their hardened status for big headlines. But much like in “Bonnie and Clyde” (a clear inspiration for Corman), the attention eventually catches up to them.

Though bound by the exploitative tropes of bare flesh and blood (a Corman dictum that even Martin Scorsese couldn’t escape), there was still room for the director to take a few of his own swings. Not all of them hit their marks. Take the handful of messy cuts and quick camera pans. And a couple of woefully unconvincing fight scenes that look even more dated that usual for that era of movie history. But then you have his deft handling of his performers along with the detail he pours into his rich Southern setting. And unlike many of Corman’s exploitation films, there’s no glamour in the violence. It’s rough, crude, and abrupt.

Through it all Bertha remains the centerpiece, wonderfully played by Hershey who guides the character from naive to streetwise, always adapting to survive yet maintaining a level of vulnerability that earns our empathy. Her performance can’t fully cover the handful of glaring flaws, and those with a distaste for Corman’s brand of exploitation will likely struggle to get past his obvious influence. But watching Scorsese at such an early stage of his career, playing around with formula, exploring techniques, and finding his cinematic form makes it worth watching on its own.

VERDICT – 3 STARS

Expectations were high heading into the third and final season of “The Bad Batch”. Creator and showrunner Dave Filoni along with the wizards at LucasFilm Animation had set the bar high after two strong seasons. To no surprise Season 3 didn’t disappoint. That doesn’t mean we aren’t left with questions. In fact, I could write a lengthy essay focused solely on the many things left to ponder following the show’s final episode. But to be honest, that’s a big part of the fun when it comes to Star Wars.

Set shortly after the events of the feature film “Revenge of the Sith”, the Bad Batch set out to take a deeper look at the clone soldiers who were created solely to fight for Emperor Palpatine and his fledgling Empire. The series explores what happened to the clones once Palpatine deemed them to be expendable and took his cloning experiments to more sinister depths. And it’s all brought to life through the eyes of Clone Force 99, a small squad of defective yet genetically altered clones, each with their own unique combat specialties.

Clone Force 99, or the “Bad Batch” as they were affectionately known, found themselves on the the run from the Empire after rescuing and taking in Omega, a young unaltered clone from the top-secret laboratory deep inside Mount Tantiss. Omega proved to be an invaluable piece to the well-hidden experiments happening under the direction of Palpatine’s chief scientist Royce Hemlock. On their journey, the Bad Batch and Omega experienced their share of danger and loss which all helped set the table for the third season.

Taking place in the wake of the sinister Order 66, the Bad Batch’s story has offered all kinds of connecting tissue that helps bring the post-prequel trilogy story together. Season three goes even further, not only filling in gaps from the past but reaching ahead to the sequel trilogy. But at its core, the story revolves around the growing connection between Omega and her brothers/father figures. Every episode feeds on their relationships and the writers do an incredible job nurturing it as the season progresses.

Once again, the animation is spectacular throughout. And with a couple of exceptions, the episodic storytelling is terrific. But you can’t talk about The Bad Batch, especially Season 3, and not mention the extraordinary voice work. A special industry award should be made just for Dee Bradley Baker. He voices every Bad Butch member, imbuing Hunter, Wrecker, Echo, and Crosshair with their own unique personalities and qualities. And if that wasn’t enough, he also voices nearly every other clone in the series, much as he did in ”The Clone Wars”. It’s truly mind-boggling talent.

But also good is Michelle Ang as the voice of Omega. Throughout the series Ang chronicles Omega’s journey through various stages of her life. She brings such warmth and sincerity while capturing the qualities that make Omega such a joy. Season 3 sees Omega’s early naïveté replaced by a maturity forged from her ever-changing and often perilous circumstances. At the same time, Ang’s performance brings out the empathy in Omega which proves to be a crucial part of the character.

In addition to the main cast, Season 3 brings back a number of Star Wars favorites. They include Tarkin (once again voiced by the superb Stephen Stanton), the notorious bounty hunter Cad Bane (Corey Burton), the cool and calculated Fennec Shand (the indomitable Ming-Na Wen) and the mysterious yet deadly Asajj Ventress (a returning Nika Futterman). This is just a sample-size of the many heroes, villains, and in-betweens who pop up and add heft to Season 3.

Helmed by the directing trio of Saul Ruiz, Nate Villanueva, and Steward Lee, “The Bad Batch” Season 3 does an exceptional job bringing this highly entertaining and unexpectedly moving Star Wars story to a close. LucasFilm Animation once again raises the bar in visual storytelling while Dave Filoni and his team of creators continue to expand the galaxy far, far away in exciting new ways. Star Wars remains in capable hands. And for fans who love the franchise’s ever-growing mythos, “The Bad Batch” is a satisfying three-season entry full of warmth, thrills, and plenty of surprises. “The Bad Batch” is streaming exclusively on Disney+.

VERDICT – 4.5 STARS

Moritz Mohr goes for the jugular in “Boy Kills World”, an action-driven fever dream that marks his directorial debut. Mohr conceived the idea with Arend Remmers and pitched it to Sam Raimi who subsequently signed on to produce. After navigating through the COVID-19 pandemic, production finally began will Bill Skarsgård cast as its lead. After premiering at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, it’s finally set to hit theaters.

When watching “Boy Kills World” you’ll have no trouble identifying the long list of inspirations that have their place in the film’s DNA. Kung-fu cinema, video games, anime, and graphic novels are just some of the influences behind Mohr’s go-for-broke vision. Its story is primarily a revenge tale, written for the screen by Remmers and Tyler Burton Smith. But both the visual and narrative style turns it into a delightfully bonkers and blood-drenched extravaganza that you’d swear was plucked straight from the pages of a comic book.

Set in a near-future dystopia, a chiseled Skarsgård plays the story’s deaf-mute protagonist who’s known only as Boy. We learn through a smattering of flashbacks that Boy’s family was murdered right in front of him by a totalitarian dictator named Hilda van der Koy (Famke Janssen). Though just a child, Boy managed to escape but remained emotionally scarred and thirsty for revenge. We’re told how he sought the help of a Shaman (Yayan Ruhian) who for years has been training him to become the “ultimate warrior”.

As Boy’s rigorous and often agonizing training continues, Hilda and her power-mad family rule the unnamed city with a brutal iron fist. Nowhere is this more evident than in their annual event called “The Culling”. It’s essentially televised mass murderer as the fascist family gathers twelve citizens from the poor side of town and make examples out of them in front of a live studio audience. While gathering victims for the new year’s show, Boy witnesses acts of unspeakable violence by Hilda’s inept husband Glen (Sharlto Copley). He decides that enough is enough and sets off on his revenge-fueled campaign.

Skarsgård’s performance is an electric mix of physicality and expression, but he isn’t alone in depicting Boy. Acclaimed voice actor H. Jon Benjamin plays Boy’s inner voice who’s constantly letting us know what’s going in his mind. Benjamin makes for a great compliment to Skarsgård and Mohr is able to fuse them both into one fascinating and fun lead character.

Meanwhile the film features an assembly of colorful supporting characters energized by a wonderful ensemble cast. In addition to Janssen, Ruhian, and Copley we also get Michelle Dockery as Hilda’s wicked sister Melanie and Brett Gelman as her unreliable brother Gideon. Young Quinn Copeland frequently pops up as Mina, the ghost of Boy’s murdered little sister. And Isaiah Mustafa and Andrew Koji are a lot of fun as the two-man self-identified “Resistance”. But tops on the list is the fiercely intense Jessica Rothe playing the family’s top enforcer. It’s a dramatically different kind of role for Rothe and she kills it.

“Boy Kills World” is a wild and zany mashup that can be outrageously funny one second and ferociously ultraviolent the next. While the humor is a welcomed ingredient, its the action that drives the movie. Choreographer David Szatarski unleashes some truly spectacular fight sequences. They’re savage, bloody, and stylishly in tune with the film’s spirited tone. There’s not a lot of depth to the story but there are some surprising twists. And Skarsgård gives us a rooting interest that we’re happy to follow to the very end. “Boy Kills World” opens in theaters this Friday.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS

In 1974, Robert Clouse had just directed the highly revered Bruce Lee martial arts classic, “Enter the Dragon”. That film was an enormous box office success, earning a total of $400 million worldwide (which is over $2 BILLION today when adjusted for inflation). “Enter the Dragon” also starred a young Black martial artist named Jim Kelly. Clouse was so impressed with the charismatic Kelly that he cast him in his next movie, “Black Belt Jones”.

Checking off many blaxploitation boxes, “Black Belt Jones” offers up much of what you would expect from a wild genre mash-up of action, comedy, crime thriller, and of course kung-fu. It features much of what made blaxploitation films popular during their time. But it’s also hampered by their weaknesses which in this case are hard to look past despite the fun.

Kelly plays the titular Black Belt Jones, an expert martial artist thrust into a conflict between an old friend and the Mafia. Jones’ mentor, Wesley “Papa” Byrd (played by the great Scatman Crothers) runs Black Byrd Karate School. It’s located on a small patch of land in the middle of the city that the Mafia is desperate to get their hands on.

After local mob leader Don Steffano (Andre Philippe) gets wind that the city government is planning on building a huge civic center in the area, he begins gobbling up all the property in the neighborhood. He’s able to get everything but the karate school. So the Don sends a local drug dealer named Pinky (Malik Carter) to strong-arm Papa into selling his land. But when Pinky accidentally kills Papa, Black Belt Jones is forced to get involved.

Adding an extra wrinkle is Sydney Frazier (Gloria Hendry), Papa’s estranged daughter who comes into town determined to pay back those who killed her father. Hendry adds some spice to the story, portraying a young woman who is more than capable of taking care of herself. She and Kelly have some fun chemistry together. At least until Clouse overplays it by throwing together a hopelessly corny cat-and-mouse game on the beach. It’s meant to be romantic but instead is comically mawkish.

“Black Belt Jones” has some big laughs, often at unexpected moments. And while the screenplay doesn’t always help him, Jim Kelly is a fun and often charismatic lead. But the hokiness is hard to overlook, and even the most forgiving eye will have a hard time looking past the movie’s obvious limitations. Genre fans like myself will find something to enjoy. But there are plenty of better films for those wanting to dip their toes into the world of blaxploitation.

VERDICT – 2.5 STARS

From the earliest moments of “Brief History of a Family” first-time feature filmmaker Jianjie Lin has his audience in the palm of his hand. And he keeps us in his hand, along with our instincts and expectations, until late into the film where he loosens his grip and suddenly has us second guessing nearly everything we thought we knew. That’s just one part of the genius of this smart and crafty movie.

“Brief History of a Family” is a strikingly assured debut for Lin who writes and directs this absorbing thriller set in China following the 2016 rescission of the government’s one-child policy. The setting adds a sociopolitical layer to the story that mostly exists in the background yet looms over much of the story. But Lin’s interests go well beyond that. This becomes evident once he begins digging into the complex dynamics of an upper middle-class family following the arrival of an enigmatic young guest into their lives.

From the first moment we first see 15-year-old Yan Shuo (Xilun Sun) he’s a mystery. He’s quiet and reserved; a bit of an outcast. At school he gets beaned in the head with a ball by the more athletic Wei (Muran Lin). Feeling guilty, Wei invites Yan Shuo to his house to play video games. A little later, Wei’s parents ask Yan Shuo to stay for dinner. This sets in motion a story with all the markings of a family infiltration thriller. But are things really what they seem to be?

It takes no time for Lin to raise our suspicions and have us questioning Yan Shuo. Who is he? What are his intentions? Is he being truthful with this family? Xilun Sun’s performance adds to the mystery. He’s unreadable and impenetrable which prompts us to suspect him more. Wei and his parents attempt to learn more about him by asking about his family. But all they get are cryptic responses about his deceased mother and hard-drinking father. It’s enough to earn their sympathies and Yan Shuo becomes a regular at their home.

The subtle thriller elements become more pronounced the deeper Yan Shuo penetrates the family’s encapsulated lives. He wins the affections of Wei’s mother, Mrs. Tu (Ke-Yu Guo) by simply showing interest in her, listening to her stories, and helping in the kitchen. He wins over the stern Mr. Tu (Feng Zu) with his admiration of Bach and his academic drive. And he wins over Wei by keeping his parents off his back. As it all plays out, deep secrets and buried tensions surface. Feelings of disillusionment and disappointment as well as sorrow and regret shed more light on the family and where the story is going.

As the story percolates Lin’s visual creativity and technique is essential in creating tension and unease. Everything from his precise framing to his use of light and shadows to the sleek modernist architecture – it all helps Lin guide his audience to certain conclusions. There is a thematic correlation with some of the imagery. Other instances reveal a cunning filmmaker using imagery like a carrot on a stick. It’s a testament to Lin’s vision and DP Jiahao Zhang’s ability to realize it through his camera.

With “Brief History of a Family” Jianjie Lin subtly yet effectively speaks to a variety of political, cultural, and domestic issues. At the same time, he plays around with genre in some unexpected and crafty ways. Better yet, his handling of the material, character work, tone management, and visual imagination show a filmmaking acuity usually found in the more seasoned and accomplished. It’s a big reason why Lin should be on everyone’s ‘to-watch’ list.

VERDICT – 4 STORY

It seems director David Ayer may have an affection for unapologetically silly, over-the-top, 80’s action throwbacks. That’s precisely what we get with his new feature “The Beekeeper”, a movie that never once attempts to hide what it is or what it’s going for. I doubt that any amount of glaring self-awareness will change things for those who enter the theater with their noses in the air or their minds made up. But for everyone else, there’s some fun to be had here.

That isn’t to say “The Beekeeper” is some new action classic or that it’s free of flaws. The story is a combination of the conventional and outlandish. And the dialogue only gets hokier as the story progresses (“I lost my virginity in that barn” is just one glowing example). Yet the movie gets by in large part thanks to its lead, Jason Statham. He remains one of the more magnetic action movie stars working today. Statham possesses a steely charisma and an ability to wink at the audience without ever breaking character. All of that on top of his amazing physicality.

Here Statham plays Adam Clay, a quiet and content man who tends honey bee hives for a kindly widow named Eloise (Phylicia Rashad). We learn that Eloise took Adam in and lets him rent a space in her barn. To repay her generosity, Adam helped Eloise maintain her farm following the death of her husband.

One day Eloise gets a warning on her computer that she has a virus. Not knowing what to do, she calls the phone number on her screen. It turns out to be a phishing scam posing as an anti-virus software company. Eloise is connected to a clown named Garnett (David Witts) who tricks her into using her passwords to open up her bank accounts. Through data mining, his team instantly empties her life savings. They even drain the funds out of a children’s charity she operates. Devastated, Eloise takes her own life.

Her death sets off Adam who turns out to have a pretty interesting background. He’s actually retired from a clandestine program known as Beekeepers. The secret off-the-grid organization sends out its Beekeeper whenever a situation gets too big for law enforcement or the government. Armed with his ‘particular set of skills’, Adam sets out to find and dole out payback on the scammers who took advantage of Eloise. The trail leads him to a state-of-the-art multi-million dollar call center which he promptly destroys.

Adam’s actions get the attention of a rich and privileged twenty-something named Derek Danforth (Josh Hutcherson) who owns the call center and many others like it. Pampered and protected by his powerful mother (Jemma Redgrave), the snot-nosed Derek doesn’t like Adam interfering with his $9 million a month operation. So he sends Garnett and some heavily armed goons to deal with the problem. But Adam disposes of them and then sets out to cut the head off of the snake.

While all of that is going on there’s another side of the story involving Eloise’s semi-estranged daughter Verona (Emmy Raver-Lampman), an FBI agent investigating Adam’s warpath. These cliché riddled scenes aren’t at all compelling and often resemble some cheap, stripped-down television crime drama. Screenwriter Kurt Wimmer tries to make Verona and her FBI colleagues resemble a functioning Bureau. But they come across as inept and always ten steps behind.

Some interesting faces pop up along the way, most notably Jeremy Irons (I’m not sure how they got him onboard). He plays a former CIA Director employed by Derek’s mother to cover her son’s tracks. Among his resources is Minnie Driver playing an agent still active in the CIA. Both do good with what they’re given. Hutcherson is less convincing. He nails the obnoxious bratty stuff. But no amount of privilege can make him a believable business mogul.

That leaves Statham who puts the movie on his back and carries it through. The action scenes are electric and lean into the actor’s strengths. They get a little hard to decipher in the final 15 minutes, but Statham is effortlessly entertaining and a natural on-screen tough guy. He can’t fully cover all of the film’s issues. But for the most part Statham helps the movie deliver exactly what it promises. And for his many fans, that’s all they’re looking for. “The Beekeeper” is in theaters now.

VERDICT – 3 STARS